They spent the rest of the day back in the suite, knowing that
a lot of them would not be seeing each other for a while, and time
for au revoirs came sooner than they wanted. Aw, the emotions were
so verily heartfelt and tanglesome. Then, right in the middle of it all,
BR asked Fleesh if she wanted to accompany him on a "working
vacation" around the world. Flee was absolutely floored. She
consulted Jess and Kit. And decided on "fuck YEAH!"
        Julio was hammered when he found out. Everyone comforted
him, though, and Flecey spent some time alone with him in the
bedroom, and BR with Gabrielle in another room. Quite tight, those
four had become, Jess and Kit wondering what they may have
missed. It turned out that Juli and Gabe were kind of in love too and
Gabey later asked him to return to Sarajevo with her. He said yes,
and Estrella was floored. Gabe was 30, but quite the catch. Some
learning was definitely coming brother's way, sister teased. Then Es
dug deeper, "wait 'til Mama finds out, a la vay..." evoking snickers
from the others.
        Well, time flew, then as now, and they all felt that desire to
keep moving, so they decided to finish up all their adioses, adieus
and ciaos at the airport. Police and the guys' hired security were
keeping the fans and all back when they arrived, but Jessy led "the
entourage" over to the crowd and she shook, signed, kissed, hugged
and schmoozed with all of their admirers, then led all the guys toward
the planes. Inside their Gulfstream, she gave the last of the jewels to
the ones who hadn't gotten one, blowing away the new recipients -
Keri, Hon Ni and Gabey - and then the final hugs and kisses started
to ratchet up all their emotions. Hon Ni, Jasmine and Sage were first
to leave for their plane back to China; then Buz, Savvy and Keri left
to take the 727 on a tour of Eastern European cities, for starts, to
drum up North Air biz. And Jess was getting all choked up. Then it
was their friends from Sarajevo and Bari and Julio, flying back with
Mona, along with Gena and Will, headed back that way, too, with
the Lear. Yes, there were a lot of tears.
        Then it was time for Felecia and BR, who were going to be
taking the Cheyenne that he had bought there in Paris. That vaya was
not easy for one second for any of them there to get through. But Jess
and Flee girded up for their final hugs and kisses, with all the tears
flowing out, and then BR helped Flece deplane and they closed up the
Gulfstream and, in minutes, Jess, waving out the cockpit window to
their partners, was firing up the burners with Kenja in the right seat
and they were in the air soon after, headed for the States, Kenj taking
care of the instrument rating particulars for them.
        They arrived in D.C. early in the dark Monday morning, Pute
and Cyby slipping them through Customs once more. They had been
so lucky for so long that they were actually talking about cooling the
drugs, until they realized what the heck they were saying. Hell, they
were practically out of them anyway.
        "Well, you don't flaunt it...actually..." Kenj reassured them, "not
too much, anyway....I wouldn't worry about it." And "All Along The
Watchtower" was being done by B. Dylan at Monument, they were
hearing on their portable radio that Jess had turned on.
        "Thanks, Kenj," Jess answered, "but I guess you understand...
Quixote here's electrolytically challenged. It's just maintenance for
him," and sat down on Code's lap after picking up Pute off of it as the
others had a laugh.
        "O thanks," Kit smiled as his girl snuggled into him, making him
feel very, very good. Then he chuckled, "how long've you been
thinkin' that one up?"
        "Aw heck, honey, I've been waitin' years for someone to apply
it to," and she gave him a gentle rib poke, a long while since her last,
then a kiss as the others snickered.
        "You know, Jess, I know what you mean," Josh kicked in. "I
read recently that most people have a quadrillion synapses every
second, and I think Dad ranks up there somewhere but, then, a lot of
his seem to go...different directions," and tossed a wise smile the ole
man's way, and Kit nodded deeply back to his son with a huge picture
of "knowing" showing in the patina of his face.
        "Tell me about it, Josh," Essy was right in there, giving Kit a
hurt look, then laughing when he returned his hurt look back,
accentuated with his pained look about his shoulder, intimating that he
may have paid some, at least, for whichever wrongs.
        "Si, 'Uncle' Kit gets ways I've never seen," Phil threw into the
pot, which Evan, Stef, Sonia and 'Milio added some good thoughts to.
        "Well, you get what you give, right, Pop?" Josh added,
recalling one of his father's aphorisms from long ago.
        "Aw yeah, Son...and you can't get what you want..." and Kit
looked into Jessy's smiling face, "...until you know what you want."
        "IF you're unbelievably lucky, cowboy," Jess added, giving
everyone a big laugh.
        Well, they got their plans together. Jess and Kit preflighted her
Citation jet which they had parked near, figuring it was safe to take
or they were going to find out otherwise. But the Chippys were telling
them it was safe. Jessy was happy to see it and touch it again, and Kit
was relishing her joy. Josh and Kenj took care of the bills inside as the
Gulfstream got refueled. Bill - the President - was still in Europe,
touring the capitols; otherwise, Jess said with a wink and smile, she
would have called. But she did tweak Cody with, "hey, Hotey, we
could go to the Capitol...I know where there's a real handy hot poker
table in there...."
        They flew both their jets on to "Can-tucky". Jessy and Kitto
took her jet alone, flying low and united again - ho Lord, those bad
pups - staying at 16,5oo feet ASL (Above Sea Level, I think we've
covered) since they had not their instrument ratings. Then they all
took two Jeep wagons to the folks' original farm, where Jess used to
live, but not before taking a walkaround at Cessna 310 Romeo still
parked there on the ramp, our heroine and hero acting like potential
buyers, the keys stashed in Pute's pack. Our two were checking to
see if anyone was going to accost them, their escape plan made with
the others, but they were just as much desiring to fly the ole guy again
-  God, the memories flooding their souls. They had decided, though,
that they would be leaving "him" there, at least for a while. They had
a few feelings of paranoia about "Cincy", but got away from the
airport unstopped, at least.
        Felecia and BR called them while on the way to the farm and
told the guys that they were in Venice, in a gondola approaching the
Rialto, as a matter of fact. And the conversation was sparked with
happiness upon the joy, especially Flee's joking that she was glad she
didn't have to watch Kit get "kilt" by Jessy's folks, asking Jess if she
thought there would be a pistol duel or what.
        Ginny, Craig and even brother David hugged and kissed Jessy
relentlessly for a long while after they arrived. The rest of the family
arrived within the half-hour and did the same. They all remembered
the guys from graduation, and loved meeting Josh and Kenja, but
treated Kit with most harsh rejection. They did not want Jessica
staying with him and did not mind showing it, no ifs, ands or butts. It
was just his age, well, besides being an ex-live-in-talked-marriage-
lover of Virginia's. They would have preferred he not even be there,
let alone alive. But, then, those were their first reactions before Jess
laid down her law: "I love this man. And he loves me. So you will
treat him kindly!" she told them, more than a little upset.
        Josh and the others left to "get more refreshments" while Jessy
helped Kit through the family's barrage. And the wrath mellowed
some over time. She still wasn't telling what their real role had been
with the WPG, or who had started the whole thing that the world
was celebrating, though Ginny and Craig knew, of course. But what
she had told was taking hold in the rest of the family's minds. They
were still livid as hell, though, about how Jess's life had been put in
so much jeopardy, besides with such an old "perv", reminding her
that the whole world had been watching. But Jessy explained to
everyone, again, how it had all been her choice, and Ginny was
starting to argue for her daughter, especially after finding out from
Jess where Flece really was, the guys having answered the previous
inquiries with just, "O...she's on a...trip."
        It all got pretty balanced out by the time the guys got back with
the "shitload of everything", and the family started getting into the
good news of Jessy's stardom and experiences and wealth,  though
the wealth thing still elevating the family's blood temps. Then Brother
Dave asked again where was Felecia...exactly...and Jess decided to
tell them all. Oops. The young beauty with the old rich "perv" shit
flared right back up, but the pards helped out and it all slowly got
deflamed into a great family reunion, after all, Jessica giving all her
folks some private time. And Kit was made to feel safe, at least.
        Jess's Grandad and Uncle Fred took a walk around the farm
with the ole Codester later and learned the extent of his wealth (Kit
asked them if they wanted some, but they did not) and a few more
details of the whole story. They were coming over to his side a little
more. But there were still the problems - age and history. And Kit
agreed. He told them that he was thinking that Jess should probably
leave him, though he choked when he said it. It had only been three
months, he said. "She'll be busy with her new careers...and could get
me out of her heart soon enough..." and felt some brine in his eyes.
"But it's going to be totally up to her..." he continued, "just like it has
been. I won't try to convince her to stay with me. But, then..."
leveling with them with eye-to-eye looks, "I don't want her to go....I
love her more than maybe any other man ever could be capable of...
excluding present company, of course...."
        Ole Grandad and Uncle Fred had listened, but were getting dam
hot again, having hoped instead to hear that he would be saying adios
to her there at the farm. And Jess was going through pretty much the
same with Grandma, Ginny and the Aunts out on the back porch.
        The rest of the guys were just partying on, thinking it all kind of
humorous as they played horseshoes out on the front lawn with Dave
and Uncle Jessy. The folks just did not know how Jess and Kit were
together, or what they had really been through, or how much they
did love each other, the guys told Dave and Uncle Jess as the shoes
rang the posts and other shoes.
        But Jessica was still being told to give it a break. "Stay home..."
Ginny was saying, "let Kit go home...let it cool, honey...and then
you'll be able to see, Jessica...." But Jess just let out a soft laugh and
smiled at her kin before giving them more of the story.
        They stayed several days and nights. There was no real hurry,
at last. And Jessy did want to let her family know that she was not
going anywhere too fast. And she did love them to death, after all,
appreciating more every 'our' all that they had done for her, and had
loved her, over all her years. She and Kit bought a farm up the road
just to convince the folks that they would be "close around" in the
future.
        But, then, Jess wanted Kit to spend the night in her old
bedroom with her. And that punched the ole hot buttons again. The
previous nights they had just partied on through, sleeping on the floor
or couch, out in the hammock, or in the grass or barn during the day.
But her room and her bed was where the folks apparently had drawn
the last line in the sand. After the fight, though, there ole Cody was.
In Jessy's bed. On the old mattress and box springs of his that he had
delivered to her in the company's brown Ford 15o ten years before,
even. It was Quixotic. It was the holy grail. And Jess closed her door
and lit the candles and took her clothes off for him and climbed in
next to him and it was a dream of dreams for them both.
        (You know what, I have to digress here for a Kentucky moment
and mention again what Tom Swift once said to me, on the trimaran
anchored out in the Indian River, as a matter of fact, that sex is over
rated - though he may have been kidding. But I still don't see it. And
those two - Jess and Cody - would be the last going at it, well, and
maybe Flee and BR and the others with them, even if Tom ever is
proven correct. Sex overrated? That was some dam conjection.)
        Well, Gramps and Fred took Jessica out for "fishing" that next
day, no one else invited, and they tried their dam hardest to get her
to stay home, strike out on her own, find a YOUNGER man, and the
rest. By Friday she was tired of it. It was going to have to be goodby
day. But she would be back soon, she told them, not even saying
"they" to keep the tempers from flaming. The folks were still trying to
convince her that she didn't look right with an older man. Not HER.
Didn't she care?! And they brought up marriage. She couldn't just
live with the old rich "perv", no matter how long. And she DAM sure
couldn't marry him. What, and Jess be Josh's younger step-mother?!
And Ginny be Kit's mother-in-law?! What would the WORLD think?!
The thoughts of it were driving them all crazy again. The Grands and
Uncles and Aunts would disinherit her, they all said. But they really
didn't mean it all. The Uncles, though, were discretely threatening
Kitto during another short walk that, if - by GOD - it came to
marriage, there would not be a choice. They could not let it happen.
Kit totally understood, and kept it between he and them, knowing,
maybe, that they really didn't mean that either. Mm.

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